GOTCHA DAY! 2 Years to the day. August 24th, 2009.

Mama, I'm not a baby, I'm a boy!

Yep, you sure are a boy Alexei. 2 years ago we rushed to baby home #3. I still remember your Papa coming out of the store with 2 cakes, one in each hand. Then off to sign the last bit of our paper work at the Social Worker's office and one last drive to the baby home to pick you up.

They brought you out in an orange and white jumper with 2 goldfish crackers that you held so tightly in your little hand. You cried (they brought you from lunch) and we dressed you quickly, left and drove back to the Vlad Inn where you stood in front of us with your first pair of blue jeans and a black short sleeve T-shirt over a white long sleeve that said "Mama's Love Me". You looked up at us, wanted to be held and kept us close to you at all times.

You were so small, only a 9 month size in clothing but you sure had no problem putting your first pair of converse on and running up and down the halls with me. The first day of the rest of our lives with this little blonde, blue eyed cutie. Little did we know at the time your personality was going to blossom into what seems like a daily theater production starring you, Logan Alexei Booth.

2 years ago today we brought you into our lives and today we wait for the call for a court date to bring home your sister.

Update on Our Winter Jackets n' Hats Drive

Have an ol' piece of luggage laying around? Donate it to Orphans at Play Winter Jackets n' Hats Drive and give those traveling with donations a good opportunity for an easy delivery to children in need. If you happen to be traveling soon, why not fill an ol' piece of luggage with jackets n hats for a baby home, baby hospital or orphanage. The winter months are ahead and brrr... with cool, often snowy months on average 7f -14c degrees in Vladivostok, a warm hat or cozy jacket becomes a necessity.

Children in Vladivostok have incredibly warm hearts and the sweetest smiles. We want to do everything we can to comfort them while they wait for loving families to take them home. Please help us give back as so many of us have clothes too small for our children laying around in a closet. Or if you have the talent to knit, think of all of the children who will smile as they are given a handmade hat made just for them.

We have reached out across the country and the following people have volunteered their time and efforts for collection. If you are near by one of these areas, contact the person below.
The following contacts are available for area drop off locations:

Jody in Greenville, Ohio
Autumn in Denair, California
Lilian in Gaithersburg, Maryland
Meredith in Cleveland, Ohio
Melissa in Alabama
Christen in Elmhurst, Illinois
Sabrina in Florida
HunterAnn in Seattle, Washington

If you prefer to send the items, please contact Jody .

Image provided by:

Image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

By Request

Hello Guys,

I am not someone to post a lot about our children until they are in our arms, however here are tiny deets as requested by a few:

- 16 months old

- Girl

- A little over 2.5 feet

- American Sizing Average for Head

- 23lbs American Sizing Average for Weight

She does not really have hair so I cannot say. Looks to be possible dark blonde, light brown. Grayish/blue eyes. Huge Smile. Just barely stops smiling, babbling lots, walks with us with just one of our fingers and loves to pull all of my jewelry already and play with her shoes.

Let's Reach Our Goal of 100 Tubes of Diaper Cream This August

Help Orphans at Play reach our goal of 100 diaper cream tubes to be taken to Vladivostok within the next 4 weeks. We are currently at around 75 tubes. Let's see if we can get at least 25 more tubes before the end of August!

A big thank you to those who are donating and those who are traveling to get these tubes to the baby homes in need. For those who are waiting for a list of requests from the baby homes, we are working on this and have received great feedback so far. Stay tuned for a list we will be posting soon.

Any questions, please contact Jody

Borscht борщ

Growing up my grandmother did not cook too often due to her schedule, however Borscht was always a tradition and I remember it well. I can still remember my grandmother standing over by the stove with my mother and both of them working on dinner. I remember the bowls filled with a dark purple soup and a spoonful of sour cream on the top. My grandmother's borscht was a tad sweet, much like taking a bite out of a beet, strong and sweet with a touch of sour from the cream, which I liked to stir into the soup.

When Michael and I were in Vladivostok this past May, our wonderful coordinator Anya took us to a lunch downtown and I have to say it was probably one of the best Borscht soups I have ever had. Unlike my grandmother's, which I loved too, this was very light and with plenty of lemon. I probably could have eaten it every day lol much like I have done with the French Onion soup at the Vlad Motor Inn.

Both soups are so good, however this late summer when the days have been in the 70's (I know backeasters and southern cali's, that really isn't considered hot) I am craving a lighter and cooler type of dinner and with wanting to pass down traditions within our family, I have decided to make this cold borscht recipe and share it with any of you interested in trying something new. It does not have it in this recipe, however I am not big on the sliced egg and probably would prefer the sour cream. Since I am non dairy now, I will skip the sour cream but highly recommend it.

Cold Borscht Recipe

Gazing out the window thinking about how quickly our lives change

A blink of an eye. Sure becoming a parent was super difficult but now I can barely think about when we didn't have Alexei. It feels like he has been here for so long with us, although just curbing around Gotcha day coming up in a week to make our family anniversary 2 years.

As I gaze out the bay window of my living room hearing the kids play down the street watching the breeze through the trees I sit and think about how quickly our life changes. Recently, both sides of our family have undergone incredibly heart breaking issues still struggling with trying to make it through each of them and yet this comes at one of our most anticipated moments in our life when we bring home a grandchild.

A strange twist of fate as my husband says optimistically, "this is what fate has in store." Sometimes, I wish I could use fate as a punching bag every once in awhile. Michael's parents, my second parents, people who have been there for us like, well parents. If it wasn't for them, we would not have Alexei. Their support is the type of support I want to be for my children the rest of my life. People you can look up to, people who are kind, fair and most of all, in difficult times, our greatest support.

Michael's father is in the hospital, has been for 3 weeks I guess now. I sigh heavily even writing this as I just feel so much for what they both are going through. Although we all follow it each day, there is a complete admiration I have for his mother. She gives her everything to him as she said in an e-mail and she does. She goes to the hospital every day and stays hours, breaks and comes back for hours while holding up the house, dog, her rental properties and grandchildren in Toronto.

She has been with him since out of high school and they pushed together through life's greatest challenges, warmest moments and share incredible memories. I sit here hoping that this is in store for Michael and I and that we can be that couple decades later getting through each day and making the most of each hour.

As the hospital prepares him for open heart surgery, we wait for good news, we wait to hear grandpa will be home and on skype in a few weeks. Grandpa is Alexei's second man to Michael. He loves grandpa. Talks about him all the time and my heart gets all weak having to explain that grandpa is not feeling well but soon you can see him on the computer, I say.

I write this full of emotions and who wouldn't feel those emotions. This year has been a serious test. Most who know me know that I have a huge heart, love for people and life, however it doesn't always show easily as my husband says to me two days ago while making the bed, "I should just face the fact I married a Russian woman." He smiled and I said what is meant by that? I know he is referring to me taking after my grandmother, our strength is on the outside as well as on the inside but we carry heavy hearts.
[On the surface he probably also meant that although he just tore into his nail and it hurt like hell, I said "come on, pull up the blanket" and he said, he hurt himself and I said, "you will be fine, let's go, get the comforter up". In my small defense, it was midnight and he was taking forever ;) lol]

Michael got me a necklace I refuse to take off and it is a lion carrying his heart on his back, a 19th century stamp. I suppose I use writing as a way to express what lies inside my heart.

First Annual Winter Jackets & Hats Drive

The fresh scent of fall is soon to be in the air when children are in need of extra clothing for the upcoming cooler seasons. Volunteer needs are at an all time high, lend a helping hand and support Orphans at Play for their first Helping Hands Winter Jackets & Hats Clothing Drive. We are hoping to reach those who would like to help and those who are traveling soon to the Vladivostok region within the next month or two and can take an old piece of luggage full of clothes and supplies or simply save a little room when packing for a few jackets or hats.

We are looking for jackets for small children up to 16 years of age and winter hats of any kind to help keep these children warm. If you are traveling, we recommend the use of vacuum bags as they work very well in suitcases and saves plenty of room.

Contact the director Jody Garber of the Helping Hands project at Orphans At Play where we hope to have several volunteers from across the world to help us give back to Vladivostok and the children in need of warmth in the coming seasons.

Courtesy of Jody Garber